I just popped to the local supermarket to buy a bag of pasta, and left the shop having agreed to make a crochet wolf. But that's the beauty of Chatting isn't it?
So Wolfie was born, in my mind at least. He was going to be one of 26 wolves which would form the 'Wolf Trail' around the beautiful town of Bury St Edmunds, as a project to celebrate the life (and gruesome death) of King Edmund. In the 9th century, the Vikings objected to King Edmund refusing to give up his Christian beliefs so they shot him full of arrows and decapitated him for good measure. Legend has it... a WOLF guarded his head till his men found it. King Edmund became Saint Edmund. And the fabulous wolf legend goes on to this day.
SO, back to Wolfie, firstly, I got amazing local sculptor Jenny Goater to make a mesh wolf-shaped frame. He arrived one day, I went weak at the knees, he was so beautiful.
I made over 100 crochet hexagons to start building his coat.
Wolfie needed a black 'undergarment' to stop the crochet catching on his metal frame. My cat Hank Marvin Deluxe seemed extremely unsure of the lupine visitor...suspicious sniffing for days...
Underwear on, Wolfie reminded me of John Wayne in those Westerns when all the cowboys wear their babygro suits...
I stitched and stitched and stitched those hexagons together... and on went paws and tail.
...then I started on the bit which was really scary- the face building, each piece having to be made individually to fit the exact shape. There was swearing. And un-doing (of work and my sanity...). But ultimately, there was LOVE. It grew and grew. As Wolfie's face took shape, we bonded.
Even Hank Marvin Deluxe started to feel the vibes, a real furry bromance was born.
Then one day, Wolfie got a mention on Lauren Laverne's ace show on BBC 6 Music. Lauren has said publicly that Wolfie does not have a wonky face. I cannot describe how happy this simple comment makes me. A non-wonky-faced wolf!! He inspired the People's Playlist feature, and even got a mention at Glastonbury festival. He has officially become a Star. I do not think it has gone to his head, though. Here he is pretending to be a Superstar DJ. So maybe it has gone to his head a little.
After 2 and a half months of hooking, stitching, cutting, shaping, weeping quietly, dancing round the table to mental loud music, Wolfie was finished. All 167 individual pieces of crochet. Oh Wolfie, I love you and am so proud of you.
So we say farewell to Wolfie next Tuesday 7th July 2015, when he goes to his new home, the Town Council Offices on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds. A fine spot indeed for a very handsome wolf. My children are so upset, even the Other Half (not known for his emotional outbursts) has insisted we have a goodbye party this weekend, involving cake and cava. I agree. We should. Wolfie has lived in our kitchen since April and we are going to have a large wolf-shaped hole there. Even Hank Marvin Deluxe looks mopey...